Christians arbitrarily arrested in Nepal
Arrests included 2 foreign nationals from India and the US
NEW DELHI – On Tuesday, five Christians were arrested at a hotel in Nepal including two foreign citizens from India and the USA. One of the arrested was Pastor Dilliram Paudel, general secretary of the Nepal Christian Society. The arrests were made without warrant and based on false accusations of inducing fraudulent conversions.“Nobody should be persecuted because of their faith. The arrested were simply tending to the needs of the Christian community in Nepal. Their right to do so is firmly secured under international law. Anti-conversion laws in Nepal and a restrictive constitution have regularly subjected Christians and members of other religious minorities to arbitrary arrests, criminal charges, and violations of their fundamental rights,” said Tehmina Arora, senior counsel for ADF International, South Asia.
The hotel in Ghorahi, Nepal, was charged by police officers in an early morning raid. They detained Paudel; Gaurav Shrivastava, an Indian citizen; Leanna Cinquanta, a U.S. citizen; and Kunsang Tamang and Pramid Kafle, both Nepali citizens. They were detained for 10 hours, and then the American citizen was subsequently deported. They had been scheduled to attend a Christian conference this week but were arrested for allegedly preaching Christianity and converting through allurement.
In 2018, a change in the criminal code took effect in Nepal increasing the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities markedly. The amendment criminalizes propagating “any religion in such a manner as to undermine the religion of others” or causing others to convert. Overall, the Nepali penal code dedicates an entire chapter to so-called “religious offenses.”
Paul Coleman, executive director of ADF International said, “We increasingly see Christians and other religious minorities face persecution and denial of their fundamental rights in Nepal. Sadly, this recent arrest is not an isolated incident but one of many arbitrary arrests in recent years. All people have the right to freely choose and live out their faith. We urge the Nepali government to uphold this right and do more to protect religious minorities and promote religious freedom.”
ADF International is a faith-based legal advocacy organization that protects fundamental freedoms and promotes the inherent dignity of all people.
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ABOUT Tehmina Arora
Tehmina Arora is an attorney practicing in the area of constitutional law and human rights with a special emphasis on minority rights. Based in New Delhi, India, she also serves as legal consultant to ADF International.
ABOUT Paul Coleman
Paul Coleman serves as executive director of ADF International, overseeing the legal advocacy of all ADF International offices. Specializing in international human rights and European law, Coleman has been involved in more than 20 cases before the European Court of Human Rights and has authored submissions before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, UN Human Rights Committee, and numerous national courts. Coleman earned his LL.M. and postgraduate diploma in legal practice from the Northumbria Law School, graduating with distinction. He also has a bachelor of laws from Newcastle University and graduated with first-class honours. Coleman is a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales and is the author of two books and numerous articles.